Hamburg

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File:Hamburg arms.gif
Position of Hamburg in Germany
File:Hamburg old.jpg
Hamburg's central broadway Jungfernstieg at the Alster lake, between 1900 and 1914
This article is about the city in Germany. For other articles named Hamburg, see Hamburg (disambiguation).

Hamburg is Germany's second largest city (after Berlin) and, with the Hamburg Harbour, its principal port. The official name Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg (Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg) recalls its membership in the mediæval Hanseatic League and the fact that Hamburg is a city state and one of Germany's sixteen Bundesländer.

The state and administrative city cover 750 km²; with 1.8 million inhabitants, while another 750,000 live in neighbouring urban areas. The Greater Hamburg Metropolitan Region (Metropolregion Hamburg) including nearby districts of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony covers 18,100 km; with a population of 4 million.

The city of Hamburg is situated on three rivers, the Alster, the Bille and the Elbe, at 53°33′N 10°0′E / 53.550°N 10.000°E / 53.550; 10.000. The city centre is beautifully situated around two artificial lakes, the Aussenalster and the Binnenalster, which are formed by the river Alster.

100 km to the North-West, three islands in the North Sea also belong to the city-state of Hamburg: Neuwerk, Scharhörn and Nigehörn.

The burg part of the city's name is cognate to the English word borough as well as words and place names in virtually every Indo-European and Semitic language along with others. For a fuller explanation, see under borough.


Politics

The Bürgerschaft (city assembly) is the parliament of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (official name, German: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg), which is voted for by the citizens of Hamburg every four years.

The first mayor of the city (Erster Bürgermeister) as head of the senate (which forms the executive branch) is elected by the Bürgerschaft (city assembly) and is thus head of the city state.

Language

German and a regional dialect called Missingsch which is influenced by the Plattdüütsch (Niederdeutsch, meaning Low German), which is rarely spoken now but can be still heard from harbour labourers.

Economy

Landungsbrücken ("the jetties"), in St. Pauli district, on river Elbe, facing the harbour


The most significant economic basis for Hamburg in the past centuries has been (and still is) its harbour (see: Hamburg Harbour), which ranks at #2 in Europe and #9 worldwide with transshipments of 7 million standard container units (TEU) and 115 million tons of goods in 2004. International trade is also the reason for the large number of consulates in the city.


File:Hamburg Shomat.JPG
Hamburg near the dock

Other important industries are the aerospace company Airbus, which has one of its two assembly plants located there, and media businesses, most notably three of Germany's largest publishing companies, Axel Springer Verlag [1], Gruner + Jahr [2] and Heinrich Bauer Verlag [3]. About one half of Germany's nation-wide newspapers and magazines are produced in Hamburg. There are also a number of music companies (the largest being Warner Music Germany) and Internet businesses (e.g. AOL and Google Germany). Heavy industry includes a steel, an aluminium and Europe's largest copper plant [4], and a number of shipyards like Blohm + Voss [5].

History

Founded in the first decade of the 9th century as Hamma Burg ("fortified town"), it was designated the seat of a bishopric (834) whose first bishop Ansgar became known as the Apostle of the North. In 845 a fleet said to number 600 Viking ships came up the River Elbe and destroyed Hamburg, at that time a place of around 500 inhabitants. Two years after that Hamburg was united with Bremen as the bishopric of Hamburg-Bremen. In 1030 the city was burned down by King Mieszko II of Poland. The see was finally moved to Bremen after further raids in 1066 and 1072, this time by Slavs from the east.

Frederick I "Barbarossa" is said to have granted free access up the Lower Elbe to Hamburg in a charter of 1189. Hamburg's proximity to the main trade routes of the North and Baltic Seas quickly made it a major port of Northern Europe, and its alliance (1241) with Lübeck on the Baltic is considered the origin of the powerful Hanseatic League of trading cities. However, Frederick's document, still at display at the town museum, is known to be a fake from around 1265. Therefore Hamburg does not hold city rights.

Hamburg Rathaus (Town Hall)

In the 1520s the city authorities embraced Lutheranism, and Hamburg subsequently received Protestant refugees from the Netherlands and France. At times under Danish sovereignty while a part of the Holy Roman Empire, in 1768 it gained full Danish recognition as an Imperial Free City.

Annexed briefly by France (1810 -14), Hamburg suffered severely during Napoleon I's last campaign in Germany, but experienced its fastest growth during the second half of the 19th century, when its population more than quadrupled to 800,000 as the growth of the city's Atlantic trade helped make it Europe's third-largest port.

Hamburg was destroyed by fire several times, notably in 1284 and 1842. The last and worst destruction took place in World War II, when the city suffered a series of devastating air raids, Operation Gomorrah (24 July-2 August 1943). Today's inner city therefore hosts almost no buildings from before 1842 and even few from before 1945. In February 1962 the city's low-lying areas were affected by severe flooding, in which more than 300 people died and thousands became homeless.

The city boundaries were extended in 1937 with the Groß-Hamburg-Gesetz (Greater Hamburg Act) to incorporate neighbouring Wandsbek, Harburg-Wilhelmsburg and Altona.

During World War II and in response to Germany levelling Coventry two days before, the Royal Air Force began to bomb Hamburg on November 16, 1940. Later, in Operation Gomorrah the British bombed Hamburg on July 28, 1943 which caused a firestorm that killed 42,000 German civilians. By the end of the war at least 50,000 Hamburg residents died from Allied attacks.

The population of the city proper peaked in the mid-1960s at 1.85 million, but has recovered from a mid-1980s low of under 1.6m. Growth is now concentrated in the suburban areas. The Hamburg Harbour remains the prize asset of the city and is one of the largest deep-sea ports for container shipping in the world.


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Sister Cities

Transportation

Hamburg is connected by four Autobahnen (motorways) and is the most important railway junction on the route to Northern Europe. Hamburg's international airport is Hamburg Airport, which is the oldest airport in Germany still in operation.

Though large cities in Germany normally only have a one letter prefix (e.g. B for Berlin), Hamburg's vehicle registration prefix "HH" (Hansestadt Hamburg or Hanseatic City Hamburg), which underlines Hamburg's historic roots.

Like in most larger German cities, the local public transport is organised by a Verkehrsverbund, basically a joint venture of all public transport companies servicing the area. In and around Hamburg, it's the HVV (Hamburger Verkehrsverbund). Tickets sold by one HVV company are accepted by all other HVV companies.

An underground system ("U-Bahn", operated by Hamburger Hochbahn AG) of 3 lines makes up a portion of the city's internal transportation system. In spite of the "U" for underground in the name, large portions of the network, especially outside the city and along the banks of the Elbe in the centre, actually run above the ground, and, in parts, on viaducts (hence the name "Hochbahn" for "elevated railways"). A fourth line is to be opened in 2011 to connect the Harbour City (HafenCity) with the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof). There are even plans to later extend this fourth line (called U4) south of the river Elbe.

In addition to the underground there are 3 so-called S-Bahn lines. This suburban railway system connects the far ends of Hamburg, going faster by way of express routes, while still crossing the inner city stations. All U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines run all night on weekends. As with the S-Bahn in Berlin, both the U-Bahn and S-Bahn in Hamburg use a third rail (DC 1200 Volt).

Additionally there is a day and night bus network that operates as frequently as 2 minutes at important places to 30 minutes in suburban areas. Another rather unique means of transportation are 5 ferry lines along the Elbe river. While mainly needed by Hamburg citizens and dock workers they can also be used for sightseeing tours at the (relatively) low fees of a HVV public transport ticket.

Districts

Hamburg is organized in seven boroughs (Bezirke) comprizing 104 quarters (Stadtteile):


The neighbouring districts of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein belong to the Greater Hamburg Metropolitan Region, including:


The neighbouring towns in Schleswig-Holstein are substantial suburbs of Hamburg, including:

Constructions

Tunnels

Bridges

The countless beautiful canals in Hamburg are crossed by over 2300 bridges - that's more than Amsterdam (1200) and Venice (400) have together.

Towers and masts

Sport

Football (soccer)

Hamburg is home of Hamburger SV and FC St. Pauli. Hamburger SV (HSV) is the only football club to have played in the 1. Bundesliga (premier league) in every season since the league's formation in 1963. In 1983, HSV won the European Cup by beating Juventus Turin 1:0 in Athens. The best known players to have played for HSV are Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer and Kevin Keegan.

Hamburg also has several American Football teams, amongst others the Hamburg Blue Devils (four time champion of the semi-pro German Football League) and - since 2005 - the NFL-Europe team Hamburg Sea Devils.

World Cups

Among other events, Hamburg regularly hosts a marathon, a triathlon and a bike race, all of them world cup events attended by professional athletes and at the same time open to amateurs.

The World Cup will be held in Hamburg next year.

The ITU Triathlon World Championship 2007 will be held in Hamburg.

Culture

Institutions

Actors and actresses

Poets and writers

Politicians

Scientists

Architects

Churches

The skyline of Hamburg features the high spires of the five main churches ('Hauptkirchen') covered with green copper plates.

Theatres

Dance clubs

  • Angie's Nightclub (Soul/Jazz/Livebands) website
  • Change (Gay)(Electronica) website
  • China Lounge (House) website
  • Docks (Trance/Latin/RnB/Mixed) website
  • Cult Club (70s, 80s, Classics) website
  • Dollhouse (Strip Club) Info
  • Echochamber (Reggae/Dancehall/Electro) website
  • Funky Pussy Club (HipHop/R&B) Info
  • Große Freiheit 36 (Mixed) website
  • Grünspan (Mixed/Livebands) website
  • Kaiserkeller (in the basement of Große Freiheit 36)
  • Kir (Alternative/Mixed/Wednesday=Gay) website
  • Lounge (House/Soul/Latin/Lounge) Info
  • Molotow (Livemusic/Clubnights/Rock) website
  • Pit (Gay) (Electronica) website
  • Pacha (House)website
  • Rutsche (Dancehall/Techno/Pop/Rock)
  • Superfly (House/HipHop/Mixed) website
  • Thomas Read (House/Pop/R&B) website
  • Waagenbau (Electronica/Techno/HipHop) website
  • Weltbühne (DJs/Liveacts) website

Music

Classical

Composers

Pop

Hamburg is known for giving the Beatles a start in their musical career in the early 1960s. They played at the Star Club, which was located in the district St. Pauli near the perhaps most famous street of Hamburg, the Reeperbahn.

More recently it is known for some of the most popular German hip-hop acts, such as 5 Sterne Deluxe, Samy Deluxe, Beginner and Fettes Brot. There is also a quite big alternative and punk scene which gathers around the Rote Flora, an occupied villa once owned by Salomon Heine located in the district of Sternschanze. Some of the musicians of the famous electronic band Kraftwerk also came from Hamburg.

Hamburg was one of the major centers of the heavy metal music world in the 1980's. Many bands such as Helloween, Running Wild and Grave Digger got their start in Hamburg. The influences of these bands and other bands from the area were critical to establishing the subgenre of Power metal.

Museums

Museums in Hamburg include:

Regional dishes

Although Hamburg is jokingly said to be the birthplace of the hamburger, this is just a myth. The hamburger was named after Hamburg. Original Hamburg dishes are "Birnen, Bohnen und Speck" (green runner beans cooked with pears and bacon), "Aalsuppe" (Often mistaken to be German for "eel soup" (aal = eel), however the name probably comes from the Low Saxon "aalens", meaning "all" - anything could be in it, but not necessarily eel. Today eel is often included to meet the expectations of unsuspecting diners.), "Bratkartoffeln" (fried potatoes), "Finkenwerder Scholle" (fried plaice), Pannfisch (fried fish), Rote Grütze (something similar to summer pudding consisting mainly of red berries) and "Labskaus" (a strange looking combination of corned beef, mashed potatoes and beet root – with a name oddly similar to Liverpool's lobscouse).

Tourism

Hamburg is best visited for a few days in spring or summer – and with a plan of things to do. For historical reasons Hamburg is not the typical sightseeing city, partly due to its old civic and trade tradition which didn't leave grand palaces (except the city hall, the home of senate and parliament), partly due to severe air raids during World War II which flattened complete districts (see section History above).

A typical Hamburg visit includes a tour of the city hall and the grand church St. Michaelis (called the Michel), and visiting the old warehouse district (Speicherstadt) and the harbour promenade (Landungsbrücken). Sightseeing busses connect these points of interest. Of course, a visit in one of the world's largest harbours would definitely be incomplete without having taken one of the harbour and/or canal boat tours (Große Hafenrundfahrt, Fleetfahrt) which start from the Landungsbrücken. Many visitors take a walk in the evening around the area of Reeperbahn, considered Europe's second largest red light district and home of many theatres, bars and night clubs.

However, as already indicated, most people visit Hamburg because of a specific interest, notably one of the musicals, a sports event or an exhibition.

Statistics

The described type of tourism leaves clear tracks in the statistics: In 2004, each visitor spent an average of two nights. The majority of visitors comes from Germany (80%), most foreigners are European, especially from the United Kingdom and Switzerland, and the largest group from outside Europe comes from the USA.

Medical tourism became an issue in 2004 because of the number of rich Arabic patients seeking medical treatment in one of Hamburg's hospitals; accordingly, the number of visitors from the Persian Gulf states grew by nearly 30% compared to 2003. A lot more visitors also came from East Asia (Taiwan, China) and especially the Baltic states.

Regular events

For the interested visitor, some events held every year:

  • Sports (Note that a registration, usually months in advance, is needed for public races.)
    • Hamburg Marathon [13] - marathon, open to the public: April
    • Tennis Masters Series: May
    • Dragon boat race, open to the public (if you have a dragon boat..): August
    • HEW Cyclassics [14] - bike race, open to the public: August
    • Holsten City Man Triathlon [15] - triathlon, open to the public: August
  • Film festivals
    • Filmfest Hamburg [16]: September
    • Fantasy Filmfest [17]: April
    • Kurzfilmfestival - International Short Film Festival [18]: June
    • Lateinamerika-Filmtage - Latin-America Days [19]: December
    • Spanische Filmtage - Spanish Days [20]: July
    • Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Hamburg [21]: October
  • Arts & Exhibitions
    • International Fireworks Festival: August
    • Kirschblütenfest - Grand fireworks and Japanese culture: May
    • Lange Nacht der Museen - one ticket, 40 of Hamburg's museums open until midnight: May
    • Theme nights (jungle, romantic, Asian) at Hagenbeck's zoo [22]: Saturdays in summer
  • Music
    • Fleetinselfest - Music and international artists open air [23]: July
    • G-Move - Techno parade: June
    • Schlagermove - German 1970's music parade [24]: July
  • Fun / Street Festivals
    • Alstervergnügen [25] - Alster fair: August
    • Christopher Street Day (Gay Pride Parade) [26]: June
    • Hafengeburtstag [27]- Hamburg's harbour birthday: May
    • Motorradgottesdienst - Biker's divine service in Hamburg's largest church St. Michaelis: June

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Hamburg, Germany.
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